As the longest shutdown in American history rages on, the pressure is building on White House officials to endorse one of the bills passed by House Democrats to get it reopened.

Even Fox News is becoming incredulous at the Trump administration’s insistence that $5 billion be allocated for a wall at the southern border that many believe would be ineffective and that the majority of Americans don’t want.

Fox’s Chris Wallace grilled Vice President Mike Pence as to why the White House refuses to prioritize reopening the government even with the assurance that negotiations on so-called border security would continue once the United States is functioning again.

Pence’s answer didn’t inspire much confidence.

Watch below.

Chris Wallace presses Pence: "You could open the government tomorrow" … "Isn't it really that you just want the leverage?" pic.twitter.com/4hubr65EIi

After Pence mentioned that 800,000 workers want leadership to “find a way” to reopen the government, Wallace reminded him that

“You could open the government tomorrow. The house has passed bills to open the government tomorrow, why don’t you sign them and open the government and then you could negotiate about this?”

Pence was clearly taken off guard. After stammering for a few moments, the Vice President reverted back to the tired talking point that Americans want border security and Donald Trump would be the man to give it to them.

Twitter wasn’t impressed.

So the priority of the 95 % (not living near a border) is not having an income but to secure the border that has never been a real problem? Interesting.